


One by one

by towardsmorning



Series: Form of intent [2]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Coming Out, Gen, Gender Issues, Queer Gen, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-13
Updated: 2011-03-13
Packaged: 2017-10-16 22:16:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/169922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/towardsmorning/pseuds/towardsmorning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to 'Pretty bird'.</p><p>"Robin picks Superboy first, if she's honest, because she knows he'll be the easiest to tell."</p>
            </blockquote>





	One by one

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the promised 'coming out to the team' fic! It... got longer than I intended. Oh well.
> 
> I may yet do even more in this universe, because this Robin has grabbed me and she won't let go. We'll see. (If anyone has anything they'd like to see, feel free to suggest! Can't promise anything, but ideas are always welcome.)

1\. Superboy.

Robin picks Superboy first, if she's honest, because she knows he'll be the easiest to tell. Social interaction with Supes tends to run along the lines of 'say something, he assumes if it's you saying it it's probably something normal he never got told about'. The whole clone-living-in-HQ thing makes him prime material for not judging.

She shows up in her new uniform without warning, as a nice ice-breaker. He stares at her for a bit, looking confused.

"You... uh, you need to call me a girl now." _Smooth, Robin._

"Oh."

The pause that follows is awkward. Very... very... awkward.

"Is this going to happen a lot?" and he looks worried, like he's going to have to keep remembering this type of thing for the whole team. She laughs.

"Nope. Not unless we end up being a _really_ improbable sitcom, or something, anyway."

"Like Megan watches?"

"I... don't think so, Supes. Those are a bit old for- oh, forget it."

2\. M'gann.

M'gann fumbles with the pan she's trying to bring to the boil when Robin walks in, and she spends a little longer than is strictly necessary clearing up after herself. Robin doesn't interrupt, flinging herself casually over the counter in an example of nervous showmanship, face set carefully calm, just slightly defensive. She can tell from the look on her face Megan isn't _probing_ exactly, but just tentatively poking at whatever weird mind-reader stuff she's broadcasting, and she doesn't interrupt. Eventually Megan takes a deep breath and turns around.

"Wow! Um, Robin, you look-" and Megan smiles, a little confusion still in her eyes but the sentiment ringing absolutely genuine, "-really nice!"

"Thanks, Megan," she responds, awkward at the concept of thinking about how she looks in terms like _nice_ , everyday terms, but appreciative all the same.

"So... um- is this a forever kind of thing?" and of course, it's probably different on Mars- this must seem like some weird Earthling ritual to her. Robin nods once and a thought occurs to her.

"Uh, I haven't told most of the team yet. Don't tell them until I have, OK? This is kinda a big deal for... us."

Megan looks politely confused (which is to say, she looks like both Megan and confused), but agrees readily. Then she starts wondering about Earth girl-bonding rituals they can do now and Robin just sort of tunes her out.

3\. Artemis.

Artemis is acknowledged silently by most of the team as their 'wildcard'. Likes playing devil's advocate, likes messing with their heads, likes a good fight. And Robin likes _her_ , and has done since she put two and two together and figured out who saved their butts against Amazo. It's nice to have someone else without powers on the team, too.

And of course now they go to school together Artemis worked out her secret identity in about three days (Robin would _kill_ to know what Bruce was thinking that he'd let her just figure it out, but he never answers). So in the end it's Dick, not Robin, who tells Artemis.

Half the school already knows when she arrives for the first day of a new term thanks to some gossip rag that found a scoop. There are whispers when she walks down the hall between classes, and the teachers studiously avoid her gaze as much as possible.

Unfortunately, this means Artemis finds out before Dick actually has a chance to _tell_ her.

The other girl responds by flying down the hall after her at lunch, hissing that they need to talk and dragging her into an empty classroom.

"Why didn't you just tell us?!"

"I just needed to be sure before-"

"You didn't _trust_ -"

"Shut up, like you-"

They go on in that style for a while, losing rancour as the minutes tick past until eventually they exhaust their list of accusations.

Artemis considers her in her new school uniform for a moment, then punches her in the shoulder. "So what do I call you now, anyway?"

Dick retaliates with a kick to her shin. "I'm working on that."

"Florence. You're a Florence. Or Wilma?"

Artemis just laughs when Dick snaps her bag in Artemis' direction irritably.

4\. Kaldur

With Kaldur, she has no idea how to proceed. She doesn't actually know him all that well- he's just the eldest one who she privately thinks should loosen up every now and again and who she admits to being somewhat jealous of, what with the whole ready-to-lead deal. He's courteous and polite and all the things she doesn't tend to gravitate towards in a _friend_ instead of a team-mate, so sharing something this personal feels- awkward.

In the end, she waits until KF (who she can't bring herself to tell even now, and he is gonna be _pissed_ when he finds out he's the last to know) is off the team with Flash somewhere and just shows up in the new uniform.

He does a double take when he sees her, but keeps it mostly under wraps while they're being told what to do by Batman. She steadfastly pays attention to him and not Kaldur.

As Batman finishes and leaves them to prepare, she sees him shoot a narrow-eyed look between the two of them. At her, she thinks, for choosing to do this right before a mission (please, like Kaldur isn't the king of stoic, it won't distract _him_ ), and at Kaldur because he's paranoid about everyone, even the do-gooder leader who probably doesn't even know _how_ to insult someone.

Kaldur looks like he's worried that if he lets a single muscle twitch, Batman will leave his body by the roadside. Which is ridiculous. Everyone knows Batman doesn't kill.

The sentiment is probably pretty spot on, though.

After a moment Kaldur walks over, and yep, he's got the Leader Face firmly in place.

He's about to ask some hideously awkward question, Robin just knows it, because Kaldur likes to keep a good front on but after a while she worked out that actually he really wasn't very enthusiastic about this whole... thing. She thinks that if left to his own devices, he'd really rather just leave people to _their_ own devices and take whatever they offered, but now he's ended up (temporary) leader there's the sense of obligation on his face whenever he knows it's his job to go and _ask._

So she pre-empts him.

"It's 'she' now," she ticks off on her fingers as she goes, "and it's still Robin. I'm not taking anything at the moment. If I do, it'll all be dealt with at home. Everyone except Wally knows. Anything else you need to know?"

He laughs quietly, ruefully. "I... think that covers it, Robin."

"Gotcha." She walks off firmly, not letting any relief show in her face, and the look on his face as he walks beside her says he knows this but also knows not to let on too much, which she appreciates.

5\. Wally.

She has to show Wally as Dick.

She really likes having someone on the team who knows her identity. Well, fine, so now Artemis does too now but- Dick hadn't _told_ her, it had just sort of happened. She'd _chosen_ to tell Wally. It was a best friends thing.

If she even still has a best friend after this.

She's sent him the text. _Meet me at the manor,_ nice and short and _ambiguous_ , because Wally never comes to the manor for fear of Bruce's wrath. Or worse, Batman's. She knows he won't be able to resist the mystery of it all.

She's nervous as hell. Wally's dense at times and if this is going to work she has to be really, really obvious, so she's wearing a skirt and make-up and the whole thing suddenly screams 'fake' at her, asks her what the hell she's playing at. She pushes it down as hard as she can. He'll be fine.

...Eventually, the sensible portion of her mind adds.

Alfred's coming up the stairs now, and she knows he's here. She slumps on her bed and tries to look neutral.

He strides into the room talking about something, and then he sees her and-

He _laughs_ , of course he laughs. And she'd meant to keep calm, meant to push this at him firmly and calmly but she feels her face twist and when he sees it too, he holds his hands up, still snickering.

"OK, OK, less of the rage, Rob. What, this for a mission or something? You need a ladykiller's expert opinion on the duds? I dunno if it's your colour, dude-"

" _Wally,_ " and she's standing up, not that it makes that much difference with her height. She has no idea what to say now, but through her glare she knows that she's got to say something.

He just stands there looking confused, grin twitching at the corner of his mouth.

"This... this isn't a mission, or a joke, or-" she swallows hard, and suddenly she's glad she didn't take up Bruce's only half joking offer to sit in as an intimidation tactic because the shame she feels at not being able to hold herself together is running deep right now.

He waits a whole ten seconds, an age for him, before responding with "What? But-"

"I'm a _girl_ , Wally," she snaps, narrowed eyes daring him to contradict, "OK? This is me now, so- get used to it."

He laughs _again_ , nervously now, and she suddenly sees red because she _knew_ he'd be like this, and before she even knows what she's doing she sweeps his legs out from under him while he's trying to formulate a response. Not having to look up makes her feel a lot better, all things considered.

"Yeah, well, screw you too. You know, it's your own damn fault you didn't notice anything when I started transitioning-" and she doesn't mean that but she's wanted to say it for months now, so she won't take it back, "-and if it's a shock, well- whatever. So get used to it or get out."

She's trembling by the end of it with pent up emotion, and he gets to his feet awkwardly.

"Yeah, man- uh. Yeah. Right. So..." he swallows, and the smile he gives is forced but... it's something. "So. Not a mission. Not funny. Got it."

"Yeah."

"So when you wouldn't talk about girls with me-"

"Still because some of us have self control, Wally."

"Yeah, sure," and he's got an unconvinced look on that's closer to normal. She snorts derisively and walks over to her bed, flopping down on it like she's suddenly totally _drained._

"This is... you're sure?"

" _Yes!_ "

"OK, OK! Just checking, jeez."

"Well... don't!"

Wally grumbles something under his breath, and she sits up, intent.

"OK. So this is what you're gonna do. You go back home and you spend way too long online like the dork we all know you are, like I can tell you want to, and you... read all the science-y stuff on hormones and whatever. And then come back and when you're not all out of control, because you're a control freak, don't deny it, _then_ we can talk. OK?"

He nods once, and zooms out.

It's a start.

At least he still knows how to follow orders, she thinks with satisfaction.

**Author's Note:**

> As ever, totally open to any criticism/suggestions you might have on how I handled it! :)


End file.
